World Shaking
by Chicary
Summary: Despite the insult to his logic, Dartz was not angry. The more important point was the fact that this child's soul was worth reaping after all. For Elficiel.


**AN:** Written for Elficiel as my part of our art/fanfic trade. My sincerest apologies for taking forever with this.

**World Shaking**

Dartz became greedy since that day, although in his mind it was a pure greed as it served for the greater good of resurrecting the great Leviathan. And that was what separated him from the masses; the traits that would consensually come to be known as "sinful" were right and just under him because they were never self-serving.

Vigilant in his righteous quest, Dartz collected countless precious souls during his long life and, in every natural lifetime, he amassed a strong army to aid him. Time steadily passed and seven thousand years into his existence, when he'd proliferated the depths of the Earth many times over, Dartz happened upon the rich land of Egypt.

It was during the peaceful era of Aknamkanon's rule, when many of Egypt's citizens had only heard stories of war. But threat loomed at the edge of the borders that would change the face of the land and compromise the good king's conscience. Dartz knew this and arranged to leave Egypt before it happened. And he would take with him the soul of Aknamkanon's only son, Atem.

Dartz's first encounter with the crown prince was a curious one. Atem was a small child whose exact age was difficult to guess. He'd not yet lost the softness of his toddler years; his belly hung over his kilt, which fell just past his knees and his countenance was round and fair in colour. His eyes were large, red like pomegranates and very intelligent. And his hair… well, no one would believe it unless he saw it with his own eyes. It had an almost mythological constitution, unnatural by any culture Dartz had ever seen, yet somehow possible for this child. It made Atem easily recognizable as well an easy target.

The prince seemed to be sneaking out of the palace as it was late at night and he moved unprotected. He was a careful and stealthy child, moving so skillfully that his sandaled feet didn't make a single sound. Even stranger, however, was the fact that he could pass right under the noses of the guards and no one seemed to notice. He was employing a concealment spell.

Under a concealment cloak of his own, Dartz followed the prince to where he settled just beyond the palace gates. Atem sat cross-legged on the sand, attention fixed on something ahead. In the distance, children were huddled around a fire. It was unclear as to what they were doing but they seemed to be of interest to the prince.

Dartz threw off his concealment cloak and approached Atem. When he caught the prince's attention, he bowed deeply, "Good evening, great prince."

Atem's eyes went wide with shock but he screwed his face into a stern mask and stood up from his spot. The sand crunched under his small feet. "Who are you? And how can you see me?"

"A servant, I assure you. I am neither an enemy nor a threat, but I _am_ a magician of sorts."

"I don't believe you."

Dartz lifted his eyes, his expression softened, "May I ask why?"

"You are a stranger." Atem paused to think, "You are unusually attired and you came out of nowhere."

"None of those reasons confirm me to be a threat."

"It was what I was taught."

"By whom?"

"That is no business of yours!"

Dartz laughed, "You are indeed as shrewd and clever as they say, Prince Atem. I would be honored to speak with you, if only to glimpse further into your brilliant mind."

Atem frowned, ignoring the compliment, "How do you, a stranger, know my name?"

"You are very well-known, even outside of your homeland."

Judging by the way the young prince carried himself, Dartz determined that he had a proud streak. And he was right, the prince offered the barest of smiles and stood a tiny bit straighter, "Is that so?" He folded his arms, "And what am I known for, exactly?"

"Ah, it sounds like you are interested in conversation as well. It's not something I can tell you with a few words so would you mind if I sit with you and we have a chat? I promise to leave if I become a bore."

"You trick me." He was pouting now.

"By intentions are completely honest."

After some time, Atem waved a hand and plopped back down on the sand, "Then sit and I will tell you when you annoy me."

Dartz obeyed, but not without resentment. He was adept in humoring children but never learned to like it. Still, he'd yet to find a better way to get them to comply. Even after seven thousand years.

"You promised to answer my question."

"I made no such promise, prince," Dartz spoke softly but sternly, "But I will tell you anyways."

Egypt was cold at night, a stark contrast to the daytime heat. Although the many layers of his robes protected Dartz from exposure, the chill still affected him. Atem, however, wore nothing but his kilt and jewelry. His skin was speckled with goose bumps but he showed little sign of being cold. _The stubborn brat._

"They say your mind far exceeds your age." Dartz said, "They see it as a sign that your nation will be blessed with abundance and that you'd continue your father's prosperity, make it greater even."

Atem tugged at his kilt, clearly struggling not to smile. His face was a practiced seriousness, which looked somewhat out of place for such a child. Dartz was amused. "I have… heard this before," Atem said quietly.

"And what do you think of it?"

"I am not sure."

"You humour me."

Atem gave Dartz a sharp glance before turning back to the children, "You are a smart man."

"I have lived long enough to know when I am humoured, I suppose. But thank you."

"How long have you lived?"

"Longer than yourself. I can see that you wish not to answer my question."

Atem huffed and shifted where he sat. "I do no like you," he declared, though more to himself than Dartz, "But since you answered my question, I suppose it is a courtesy to do the same."

"I thank you for the courtesy."

"You must never tell anyone, however."

"It is a promise."

"I have instructed people not to believe it if someone else tells them." Atem cautioned again.

Dartz raised an eyebrow, "I will not breathe a word."

Finally, Atem conceded. "I am afraid of taking the throne after my father passes."

"That does not surprise me."

"Is that an insult?" The prince was suddenly angry. His face was stormy and he smacked the sand hard.

"My apologies." Dartz said, "I meant in that it is a great burden for younger people such as yourself. It is not unnatural to be fearful, especially of unknown responsibilities."

"I am, in fact, _perfectly_ aware of my responsibilities." Atem was annoyed but he didn't yet seem like he wanted Dartz to leave, not until he'd proven his point (and perhaps his greatness) anyways. "I am offended that you, a stranger, would be quick to make such assumptions about me."

"My apologies again. It wasn't my right." The night was very quiet and whatever conversation the children by the fire were having did not reach them. Whenever either of them spoke, Dartz felt like the world could hear them. "So what is your reason, then?"

"Ah, well… father's nemes headdress will not fit over my hair. It is a rather serious problem."

"That does sound like a problem."

"In addition, my arms are too small to carry the ceremonious crook and flail." Atem presented his stubby arms as proof, "See?"

Dartz reached out to touch a soft forearm but Atem pulled away, as if not wanting the stranger to inspect him too closely. "It is always possible to build your strength, prince."

"Perhaps." Atem deflated, thwarted.

The child was clever, even though he wasn't yet old enough to reason logically. But Dartz wasn't quite convinced that this soul was any more precious than that of the next man. There was something about him that brought Dartz to Egypt and it wasn't his royal lineage. Case in point, Atem's father was of much less interest to him.

"In a perfect world," Dartz said, "Such trivial hurdles would not be a hindrance."

"But do we not become better people as we overcome our hurdles?" Atem spoke so matter-of-factly that the maturity of his words almost eluded Dartz. "I was taught it is how we become strong in mind."

"I believe you underestimate the ideal of a perfect world, prince. In such a world, strength of the mind would already be granted to us, we wouldn't need to earn it."

Atem scrunched his brow and let out a heavy breath. He thought for a moment before replying. "And how would you know for sure this is true?"

"I was told so, in a vision."

"A vision given to you by the gods?"

"A particular god, yes."

"Your god or ours?"

Dartz laughed, "Are you assuming I worship a different god than yourself?"

"You refer to your god in the singular but gave him no name. We have many gods and we name them all." Atem gave him a look as if he was stating something painfully obvious.

"You are correct, I worship a different god and he will rid us of our broken and poisonous world and grant us a new, perfect world." There was no disputing this truth and it invigorated Dartz every time he spoke of it. Even though all these people would die in the name of Leviathan, he wanted them to know their fate was for an awesome revival. He wanted it to be their last memory; he wanted them to take it to their graves.

But Atem was unshaken. He looked confused, no, disbelieving. "Then your god, whom you do not name, does not agree with our gods. Your god, then, must be false."

"How so?" Despite the child's apparent ignorance, the claim was insulting.

"Well, why would the gods allow an imperfect world to endure? If we anger them and the Nile fails to overflow, than we pray and offer sacrifices. It makes the gods happy again and they bless us. Why need a new world when we can simply do that?"

"A rotten world can still live, prince. But it cannot live fully, it's merely struggling."

"I do not see any struggle."

A short bout of laughter made its way to them and, for a moment, both Atem's and Dartz's attentions were on the children. Atem sighed and looked upon them forlornly, but not for long.

"That's because you've not gone very far past the palace gates."

"Are you saying I'm ignorant?"

"I am saying you have yet to see the world," Dartz held out a hand to halt Atem's rash response, "You _may_ see the world, someday, but as of yet, you have not. Do not dispute me on this, prince, you know it's true."

"That does not change the fact that you're a blasphemer and a heathen and that you must leave!"

"Do you want me to leave? Right this moment?"

Atem's right eye twitched. He was frustrated and surprised Dartz would even ask, "You will leave when I say so. But it will be very soon, I can promise that."

Dartz wasn't sure if he should be upset or amused. The child was getting under his skin, but he wasn't afraid. He'd lived long enough to win debates against the most perspicacious of scholars. He'd converted people to his cause by the droves; even had them willingly take their own lives for him. He'd implanted his beliefs in nations that eventually tore themselves apart because of dissent. His handprint was embedded in the shaping of the world. "Actually, I was mistaken. I believe there is already struggle in your life."

Atem frowned at him but said nothing.

"For example, I notice that you're an unhappy and lonely child."

"I am the son of a god!"

"That is also true. But the fact of the matter is that you are came here in the middle of the night, alone, wearing a disguise and risking your life just to watch some peasant children."

Atem made a sound deep in his throat; his muscles tensed and ducked his head, turning down to look at his hands in his lap. His eyebrows knitted together in anger and his bottom lip jutted out.

"Am I right?"

"You are a nuisance of a man," Atem grumbled. "But I don't watch them out of envy, I watch them so I can learn their games."

"And what does the son of a god need to learn from commoners?"

"They play shadow games."

"What?" Dartz couldn't have heard correctly.

"With their hands," the prince continued, "Like this." He touched his palms together and stuck his arms straight out to make a sideways 'V.' "The shadows make their hands looks like animals. But there is not enough light here so I cannot show you."

"Hm. And do you wish to play with the children rather than just learning from them?"

Atem didn't respond.

"In a perfect world, you would not need to think twice about it."

"Than that would mean in your perfect world, I would not be prince," Atem said, wide-eyed, "And my father would not be Pharaoh. It sounds like a bad world to me."

They were going on circles and it was damn annoying, "You would not know the difference because you would be happy regardless."

The prince scratched his chin with two stubby fingers. "But where would the happiness come from? I was taught we create our own happiness, from life itself. We will be happy if we follow Ma'at."

"You wouldn't even be asking that question."

Wearing themselves out at last, the children doused their hearth with sand and gathered their belongings. They walked away, backs to Atem and Dartz, perhaps unaware that they had been watched. With the fire extinguished, the land finally slept.

Atem wrung his hands as he thought. For a while, he was silent, save for a few stray hums. He was stubborn and prideful but also seemed to enjoy the challenge. Despite the apparent frustration, there was also a spark in the little prince's red eyes.

"I do not accept your perfect world," the prince said, "It does not agree with my views of perfection. It must not, therefore, be perfect."

"Maybe you're too young to know what perfection truly means."

"You continue to insult me but that is okay because I am about to ask you to leave anyways." The child had the audacity to talk down to him and Dartz had the sudden urge to strike him, "But I think if this world was to be replaced with a different one, I would miss it because I would miss those whom I love. They give me the greatest happiness, after all."

Before Dartz could counter, a pair of hands caught Atem by the shoulders, startling them both. They had been too absorbed in their conversation to notice the girl coming up behind them. Dartz's initial reaction was a panicked one because the last thing he needed was a witness. But the girl was young, maybe even younger than the prince and didn't look to pose much of a threat.

"Prince!" Her face was so close that they nearly knocked heads when he spun around, "I might have made a mistake. You need to come back right now!"

Atem stared at her, "Why?"

"Because I don't remember if I did the third step or not so I don't know how long your invisibility will last." The girl talked very quickly and tripped over her own words. Already, she was pulling Atem to his feet, "I was thinking about it because I got a terrible feeling my stomach that I forgot something and I came because I couldn't take it anymore. I'm so sorry."

"Well how long is it supposed to last then?"

"I… don't remember exactly," She started to cry. Her face was pitiful, "But I don't want to get us in trouble because Master Mahado will certainly yell at me. Can we please go back now?"

She had both tiny hands clamped around the prince's right arm. Atem looked back and forth between the girl and Dartz, unsure of what to do. Then, he pulled the girl tight against his chest and hugged her. "Do not be sorry, Mana, you helped me greatly. I will ensure that we will not get a yelling."

She sniffed and he slowly released her. Atem turned to Dartz and, with a quirk of his head, said, "You now have my permission to leave," before the two raced for the palace.

Dartz was not angry. In fact, the opposite was true. Despite the very personal insult, he believed he got the answer he was looking for. And he was certain that he would not leave empty-handed the next time he came back.

**-End-**

**AN: **There's no significance to the title other than the fact that I borrowed it from an older series called Sailor Moon. It's the name of Sailor Uranus' attack and seemed appropriate for this story.


End file.
